The six Infinity Stones were the epicenter of the entire, (aptly named), Infinity Saga. They essentially served as the biggest MacGuffins in movie history, seeing as they simultaneously control space, mind, reality, power, time, and soul, and served to “end” the highest-grossing movie franchise ever. However, the plot states that something else is needed for one to combine the power of all the Stones (to, say, wipe out half of all life).
That something is the Infinity Gauntlet, a big glove-like MacGuffin lifted straight from the comics. It allows the user to possess and use all six gems separately or simultaneously. But after the success of both Infinity War and Endgame, most of the planet knows all this. The question is, what don’t we know about the Stones, and specifically, the Gauntlet? Here are 8 facts about the Infinity Gauntlet that they don’t cover in the MCU.
Versatile Weapon
“He only ever had one goal. To wipe out half the universe.” This is how Gamora explains Thanos’ obsession with using the Gauntlet to attempt a universal genocide. However, just because that is what we saw in the MCU, doesn’t mean that is all the Stones are able to do when put together. True, Endgame shows us that they can also be used to destroy the Infinity Stones themselves (more on that later) and to undo a previous “snap”, but that still isn’t particularly exciting.
On the other hand, summoning a bunch of alternate Victor Von Dooms is much more fun, as the Doctor did when he possessed the Gauntlet in the comics, is much more interesting. Or dividing one’s body into two separate beings, ala Adam Warlock. Or even the possibility of making the world a technological paradise, without war, alcohol, or drugs, as Tony Stark theorized.
Beyond Infinity
It stands to reason that the ability to control everything warrants the Stone-filled Infinity Gauntlet as the most powerful item in the universe. The MCU clearly shows that as such. However, the Gauntlet’s first appearance was not in 2015’s Age of Ultron, but in a 90’s comic book. And in the comics, many other powerful objects have been introduced. One, in particular, stands out as being possibly the greatest force in the entire Marvel universe.
In an alternate timeline, Thanos finds a mysterious force known as the Heart of the Universe. The Mad Titan himself compares the Heart to the Gauntlet. He states that although the Gauntlet enables one to control everything in existence, the Heart allows you to become one with the universe. With the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos had to battle the strongest beings in the universe. With the Heart of the Universe, he simply absorbs them and everyone else until only he exists.
Soul Stone
In the wild anticipation for both Infinity War and Endgame, we had many questions that desperately needed answers. Besides the doubt over who would live/die, there was a great deal of mystery regarding the Infinity Stones. This was especially true for the Soul Stone. Not only was it the only one to not have appeared yet (before IW that is), but it was also teased as being the most powerful Stone. Two movies later and…nothing was really revealed.
We never actually saw the Soul Stone being used independently, there was never any indication of its unique power over the others, and we never got any confirmation if Thanos’ did indeed travel to the Soul World post-snap. Now that the Infinity Stones are “destroyed” that might remain shrouded in mystery forever.
Gauntlet fabrics
As of now, the MCU has given us plenty of insight into Vibranium, the so-called “strongest metal on Earth.” Besides that, we’ve seen a smattering of other alien materials come into play, but few have been directly identified. Mjolnir, Stormbreaker, and the Infinity Gauntlet were all forged in Nidavellier. But are they all made of the same material? Probably not, as Mjolnir crumbled under Hela’s hand, while Stormbreaker was able to withstand a six-Infinity-Stone blast.
So that begs the question, what is the Gauntlet made of? Many assume the answer is Uru, an extremely resistant and slightly magical metal ore from the comics that, according to these, can only be found in Nidavellir. However, the comics and the movies do not go hand-in-hand at all, so that does not act as confirmation. To make matters worse, the comic-book version of the Gauntlet is also made of an unnamed material.
A brief history of Infinity
The MCU’s Infinity Stone history is scarce. Before the creation of the universe, there existed six sole singularities, which were scattered through space after the Big Bang. Then somewhere down the line the Celestials got hold of the Stones. Somehow these beings lost possession of them and, after being passed around the universe for millions of years, they were finally all assembled in 2018. But “millions of years” is a long time.
What do the comics have to say about a pre-Gauntlet history? In this case, the first to harness the power of the Stones was (surprise, surprise) Thanos, albeit with no magic glove and with little success. Next up were the Elders of the Universe, who attempted to bring together all six Gems to absorb Galactus’ life force. Only after this (and another use of the Stones concerning the aftermath of the assault on Galactus) did Thanos’ Gauntlet come into play.
Indestructible
One of the most famous non-Thanos Infinity Gauntlet moments in the comics was Reed Richard’s attempt to get rid of the Stones once and for all. Wielding the Gauntlet, Mr. Fantastic proceeded to will them out of existence but failed spectacularly. He and his peers came to a conclusion. The Stones are indestructible. Endgame saw Thanos presumably destroy them himself, so that can only mean that in the movies, the Stones are capable of being destroyed. Or are they?
Thanos never says they don’t exist anymore, he states (and I quote) that they were “reduced to atoms”. We’ve had two Ant-Man movies so something that is atom-sized clearly doesn’t mean it’s gone. They may still exist out there, which is fortunate, as the Ancient One explains that they are what keeps the universe in check.
Stronger than a Gauntlet
Is there anyone who could single-handedly overpower a Gauntlet-wielding Titan? According to the MCU, it takes about 3000 superheroes to defeat Thanos, and even then, lives had to be sacrificed along the way. But this is only because the movies have yet to introduce the more outlandish side of Marvel. Beings such as the One-Above-All and the Living Tribunal are essentially the Marvel God, and his right-hand man.
Nevertheless, they are physical creatures in the comics and are capable of stopping, or at least reversing, any damage done by the Stones. In addition to these, God Emperor Doom is also up for the challenge. This was the strongest version of Doctor Doom ever conceived on paper. One who literally yanked Thanos’ spine from his body with ease, and defeated Black Panther, while the King of Wakanda possessed a full Infinity Gauntlet.
Infinite Infinity Stones
After the success of Infinity War and Endgame, most of our Earth’s population will associate any big, six-holed glove with the Infinity Gauntlet. But the MCU is one thing. The hundreds of alternate comic book realities are another. With new universe comes new changes, and not even the Infinity Stones are safe. In the popular Ultimate Universe, Marvel introduced not one, but two Infinity Gauntlets, each with a maximum capacity of 4 gems. 8 gems that were never named.
Two other separate realities saw the discovery of an Ego Gem (used to link all the Gems together), and the creation of a Death Stone, (used to kill Thanos). One universe referred to as the Home of the Great Society, does house six powerful items, but they appear in the form of square panes (named Forever Glass) and can be united to form the Wishing Cube.
